What is the development logic of the global chemical industry after 100 years?

China has become the world's largest chemical supply market and consumer market, which is inseparable from the globalization of the chemical industry. Although there has always been a wave of "anti-globalization" counter-attack, and even now it is intensifying, the globalization pattern of the chemical industry has been set, and the globalization layout of leading enterprises has been basically formed, Pingtou Brother believes that the current globalization trend of the chemical industry is difficult to shake.

Under this development trend, the consumer market driven by demographic dividend gradually has the influence of consumption, such as China and Southeast Asia, especially the former, and this influence is also driving its progress in the direction of technology. The technology-driven technology market is leading the upgrading of chemical technology, such as Europe and North America. The development characteristics of the global chemical industry are evolving into a unique industrial structure by virtue of their own advantages.

1) How has the global chemical industry developed?

2) What laws does the development of the global chemical industry follow?

3) What development trends and directions will the global chemical industry have in the future?

In the future, Pingtou Brother will launch the "Global Chemical Industry Development Analysis" and "China Chemical Industry Development Analysis" series of articles, aiming to show the development direction of the chemical industry through the macro perspective of the development of the global chemical industry, and offer suggestions for the high-quality development of China's chemical industry.

As of 2022, the global chemical industry has developed for hundreds of years, in this long time, the global chemical industry has experienced several ups and downs of the cycle, from the initial original form of chemical production mode, gradually evolved into the current refined, high-end production mode; From the initial single product production, it has gradually developed into a complex ecological model of tens of thousands of chemical products. From the early stage to serve a specific group of production mode, has developed into a global production mode. According to relevant statistics, the current global chemical sales have exceeded 5 trillion euros, is an important pillar industry for global economic development.

There have been many significant moments in the development of the global chemical industry for hundreds of years, and this article will review and refine the landmark events that have had a huge impact on the industry.

1. Embryonic stage

The global chemical industry originated from the mid-18th century to the 20th century, from the early alchemy to the formal chemical production, which is also a typical event in the global chemical industry. The lead chamber sulfuric acid plant established in Britain in the 1740s is known as the first truly large-scale chemical plant.

Figure 1 The earliest chemical plants in the world

Later, based on the development of the textile industry, natural dyes can no longer cope with the growth of demand for dyes, began to appear organic dye production factories, in Europe, North America and Asia and other regions appeared a large number of dye processing plants.

In addition, with the development of iron and steel industry and coking industry, the use of by-product coal tar has also promoted the chemical industry of separating aromatics from coal tar. In 1856, the British W.H. Perkin synthesized aniline purple dye from aniline. After analysis, the structure of natural alizarin was determined to be dihydroxyanthraquinone, and the anthracene in coal tar was used as raw material. After oxidation, substitution, hydrolysis, rearrangement and other reactions, the product was imitated exactly the same as that of natural alizarin.

The development of the coal tar industry also promoted the development of the pharmaceutical industry at that time.

2. Scale stage

In 1920, the United States produced isopropyl alcohol from propylene, which was the starting point of large-scale petrochemical development. In 1939, the Standard Oil Company of the United States developed the hydrocatalytic reforming process, which became an important source of aromatics. In 1941, the United States built the first set of pipe furnace cracking to produce ethylene with refinery gas as raw material, which became the key to the downstream extension of the chemical industry chain.

At the same time, Japan, Western Europe and other regions also use crude oil as a raw material for basic chemical industry production. In the 1980s, more than 90% of organic chemical products, from the petrochemical industry, such as vinyl chloride, acrylonitrile, such as calcium carbide acetylene as raw materials of chemical products, have gradually turned to petroleum as raw materials production.

At this stage, the landmark chemical events are: in 1937, the German Farben company successfully developed styrene butadiene rubber; 1937 American W.H. Carothers successfully synthesized nylon 66; 1939 High voltage polyethylene used in submarine cables and radar; The development of low pressure polyethylene isotactic polypropylene was successful. In 1951, the United States cracked natural gas as raw materials to obtain carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which is the beginning of the development of global carbon chemistry, and also the chemical industry gradually attached importance to the beginning of low-carbon science.